What is your sound and approach to music?

That is hard to say. My sound is my sound. Never been very technical about it. I try to have a rich, clean bass sound. That is my job. I hear so many bassists that make a lot of fret noise and buzzing. Does not work for the kind of music I usually get hired to work on. My approach would be to listen to the song and have it tell me what it needs from me. Not to impose myself on the song. If it needs whole notes, I play whole notes. If it is fusion, then I am all over it. But always a song-by-song judgment call.

The first jazz-pop-album I bought was…

I grew up in a house that was very eclectic in musical taste. Mozart to Gershwin to Martin Denny to Count Basie. I started as a classical pianist so my first albums were probably classical. But, I loved R&B so I got into James Brown, Joe Tex, and the Righteous Brothers etc. Then the Beatles and it was all over. My taste runs the whole spectrum musically, which helps me as a studio musician.

I knew I wanted to be a musician when…

As a child I watched the Liberace Show on TV and fell in love with the piano. I was about 5 years old and my course was somewhat set at the point.

Who are your teachers and influences?

My junior high school music teacher, Mr. Ted Lynn is really who got me headed in the right direction. I had several piano teachers and I owe a lot to them but Ted was really the big one. I studied String Bass with Nat Gangursky, who was a major bassist in the LA scene.

What is your teaching approach? If you have one.

I do not teach. Not in my thing. There are many guys who really know how to do that but not me. I have done a number of Master Classes but usually they are mostly talking and sharing experiences. Nothing about scales and the technical side of things.

Did you benefit from the experiences of Master Classes?

Any time I play and hang with musicians my horizons expand. It is a remarkable community to be a part of.

Is there something that is really potent or that you would like share with the young musicians of today?

I usually encourage young players to treat this as a profession. It is called PLAYING but it is a lot more than that. I try to explain work ethic and how to approach music, work with others, etc. Learning the bass is one thing. Applying it to your career is another.

Do you have a dream band?

That is hard to say for I am so lucky to play with my dream bands almost daily. I get to play with the best musicians on this planet. I pinch myself every time I walk into a studio and see the cats who are my friends and who I most admire.

Tell me about your best or worst experience while on the road.

Very few bad experiences. Most road ones are related to travel screw ups. A simple trip that turns into a nightmare. The best times are when the lights go down and we hit the stage. I really do love what I do and try to keep a positive spin on it as much as possible. I have worked with a few pant-loads but that comes with life. No NAMES! I still work with some of them.

Your favorite recording studios?

So many of the great studios are now gone. Wally Heider, RCA, The Record Plant, Record One. There are only a few still here in LA. The business has changed so much. Half of what I do is go to people’s homes and O/D bass parts. I am OK with that for I like to work but to be in a studio with 4, 6 8 great players is when the real magic happens. The vibe is intoxicating. There are more of those going on now but there was a period when real sessions were few and far between. Still, working a Capitol, The Village, Henson (the old A&M lot) and Sunset Sound. It is always amazing and the weight of history makes you go in with your A game.

Any memorable venues over the years that stick with you?

How I am treated does not have anything to do with it. I always loved playing the summer sheds. Carnegie Hall was stunning. I really enjoy small venues just to be so intimate with the crowd but there is nothing wrong with Stadiums and Arenas. As long as the music is great and the crowd is into it I am a happy camper.

What is your favorite recording in your discography and why?

The hardest question so far. I have worked on over 2,500 records. Which child do I like? Hmmmmm! They are all so different. The early James Taylor and Jackson Browne records were thrilling. Spectrum was wonderful. I could go on and on and barely touch on what they all mean to me. Sorry to be elusive but they all are really special to me.

What do you think is the most important thing you have contributed musically?

My heart and soul in every project I worked on. Treating them all as though they are my band and trying to make each one the best it can be from my standpoint.

I know that you draw on other artistic talents. Would you tell us about some of these talents?

When I was in College I was an ART/Science major. Music was what I did on weekends to pay bills. I never really thought it would be my career. I was so lucky that a few things aligned and my career was set. I was thinking about a career as a technical or medical illustrator but my real passion was welding and metal sculpture. I studied at SFVSC…now Cal State Northridge.

Did you know… that I did NOT have a beard when I was born!!!

What kind of music you are listening to right now?

I am still very eclectic. When I travel I listen to classical, rock, pop and some country. When I am driving around I listen to PBS or Sirius XM 40’s.

Your best picks of that special desert songs you like?

Gershwin, Copeland, Hendrix, Cream, Ralph Vaughn Williams, would be hard to nail it down.

How would you describe the state of music of the R&B-Pop and Jazz of today?

It is all what it is. The music is there. It is just the business that has suffered. Back in the day you had an infrastructure to get your music out there to the public. Those days are to an extent gone. I work on so many projects that are amazing and when they are done the artist calls and asks if I have any idea of how to get it heard. It’s a different world today…

Tell me a little about any special event that you felt good about that you were involved in over the last year? If any…

I just did a fundraiser for a fellow musician who now has MS and Parkinson’s. We are trying to raise money to help his expenses. I am always there if things like this come along. I love playing and happy to be involved any time I can.

What are some of the essential requirements you believe to keep well-written music in all genres alive and growing?

DO IT!!!! That is what it is all about. Listen to what is out there. Take it all in and be involved. Not necessary to copy. Just assimilate. There is a lot to enjoy.

What’s in your near future?

I have been touring with Judith Owen. She is a most gifted Welsh artist of the Joni Mitchell school. She is a great singer, writer and pianist. She is my main focus right now. I’m also going into the studio with Mari Hamada, a Japanese artist who I have done a number of albums with over the years. Then back to the UK with Judith.

What is your greatest fear when you were performing?

Having to PEE!

What is your greatest fear during your speaking engagements?

SPEAKING!!!!!!

Do you have a favorite song to whistle or sing around the house, in the shower or one that just stays in your mind?

Huge Gabriel fan. Carols Vega and I use to sit in the back of the bus before a show and listen to Sledgehammer a half dozen times to get into the mood………..

Do you have a favorite period of music?

Again, hard to say. They all have value to me.

What do you do during on any given day?

Work in the studio or on the road, love to garden and work on my house. Trying to stay busy. I’m not good with down time.

If I weren’t a musician, I would be

A sculptor (welding)… A gardener or scientist perhaps. Mix the two and be a horticulturalist………So far music has kept me busy for going on 50 years. Can’t complain.